Doctoral Dissertation Research: Globalization and the Transformation of Nationalism: Spain in the European Union, 1977-2000

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the effects of European integration on nationalist movements in Spain. Specifically, I am interested in how the Basque autonomy movement, relative to others, has changed in response to Spain's incorporation into the European Union. I will examine pro-autonomy and anti-nationalist sentiment in Spain from Franquismo to the contemporary period. The first stage of the dissertation will assess regional demands for autonomy in response to shifts in political form at the national and supranational levels through a descriptive analysis of protest events collected from Spanish newspaper articles for the years 1977-2000. The second stage of this project builds on the findings of the first by examining in further detail the effects of political and economic integration on regional autonomy protest via a series of regression analyses. Data for the second stage of this project includes trade, legislative, and litigative statistics collected from regional Spanish statistical agencies and the European Union. The third stage of the dissertation will attempt to explain regional variations in response to European integration through a comparative historical analysis. The broader impact of this dissertation lies in its promise to contribute to our understanding of globalization and nationalism in general. It also speaks to the changing character of international and nationalist conflict by explaining how nationalist and terrorist groups react to economic and political integration at the global level, and how supranational organizations respond to their efforts.